1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of computer systems and data communication. More specifically embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of displaying information on screens of portable electronic devices, such as personal computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, pagers, digital watches, etc.
2. Related Art
The popularity of portable computers caused consumer demand for new features that are commensurate with the nature and method of use of portable devices. Furthermore, the advent of the Internet and ever increasing reliance on electronic mail presented more requirements regarding how portable devices interface with the Internet and electronic mail systems.
To respond to the market demand, manufacturers incorporated customer requirements into the design of their new products and made improvements in their existing capabilities. An improved portable computer, responding to the consumer requirements, requires a display capable of showing a plurality of icons and information. The icons may represent any information, e.g., an assortment of sorted data in a data base, pages of information down-loaded from the Internet, pages of text received via electronic-mail, and in some instances maps of cities displaying street lay-outs and the like.
Displaying pages of textual data, maps of cities or the ever-increasing number of icons takes a vast amount of display screen area. However, supporting such features is not compatible with the customer requirements for a “small size device.” Therefore, the designers of a portable computer have to either limit their designs to display screens capable of displaying a smaller amount of information or to enlarge the size of the display, neither of which may satisfy all customer requirements.
Furthermore, portable electronic devices are typically employed while the user is on the run, e.g., in business meetings, on business travel, personal travel, in a vehicle, on foot, etc. Ideally, a user of a portable device needs to retrieve a maximum amount of information, display the information on a limited amount of display space, and in the shortest period of time. Such constraints can benefit from an improved system or an improved method for searching and presenting the information to the user. Conventional portable electronic devices can benefit from improved methods of retrieving, displaying and legibly presenting information to users.
Thus a need exists for a device capable of retrieving information with a minimum number of inquiries. Furthermore, a need exists for a user to be able to search and retrieve desired data in an expeditious manner. Additionally, a need exist for a user-friendly device that is easily portable, contains a large amount of information which can be sorted and conveniently retrieved. The present invention provides a novel solution to these requirements.